In delivering his opening address to the Municipal Association of Victoria’s recent Local Government Technology Solutions Conference, it was only fitting that CEO Rob Spence used his iPad for speaking notes.
Appropriate to theme ‘Navigating the Path of Change’, he said with the rise in technology has come issues surrounding connectivity, different rate levels in different council areas, integration and meeting the expectations of how councils should provide services.
“It is a challenge to keep up with the speed of change, and having the funds to do it,” he said.
In the future, Rob Spence said that State and Local Governments will need to work together on a wider scale.
Having presented three times to the Black Saturday Royal Commission, he said ICT is crucial to the emergency management approach.
“During the Black Saturday fires, councils and emergency services struggled to communicate,” he said. “Collaboration is the key to moving forward. As it is, Local Government and State Government don’t talk to each other enough. By integrating databases for things like vulnerable people for example, we can have a complete record of who to account for and contact in the event of a bushfire or other disaster.”
Also addressing delegates, Chief Technology Officer at Microsoft Australia, Greg Stone, said the ICT industry has seen a change at the consumer level, with people now demanding new services on a wider scale.
“Our lives are becoming more fragmented and we are doing more things,” he said. “People who have grown up with the internet want the fluidity of it available in all aspects of their life. They need to access things on the go.
“IT consumers want more selection, and they want things on their terms.”
Greg Stone said to meet these demands, councils must decide what they can and can’t do inside of the organisation.
“You must decide if you want to build the whole solution yourself, if you want to outsource the entire thing, or choose something in between,” he said. “In the end, the solution must be cost effective and accessible, with all security issues considered.”
Chief Technology Officer of Data Dimensions Australia, Gerard Florian, said this consumerisation of IT and the impact of it cannot be underestimated.
“We have moved from discussions about what the technology is, to how to spend more and more on it,” he said. “We are more interested in what the products can do rather than the brand names.
“Councils are looking at who their customers are and what they expect, as well as how they can get closer to their customers and help them get better use from what they’ve got.”
He said that technology is improving and as such, is being used more reliably and consistently on a wider scale.
“Traditionally councils use ICT as an archive for old training videos, IP surveillance, digitisation of recorded information and video conferencing. But they shouldn’t be limited to this.
“Signage can now be digital, plasma touch screens can push information out, and technology can enhance communications systems, building management and more.
“Communications enabled business processes are the way of the future, but for it to work collaboration is required throughout departments, organisations, and external agencies.”
He said mobile internet is also growing rapidly and councils must be prepared for this.
“As consumers rapidly become more demanding and change the way they use the internet, for example through smart phones and tablets, councils must be prepared and have systems in place to support this use.”
